The Church and the Work
The Church and the Work |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
MainThis Website presents the matter of the work of ministry (Acts 13:2) and the workers’ responsibilities for the raising up and establishing of local churches. Portions from the ministries of Watchman Nee and of his closest co-worker, Witness Lee are cited and arranged to show how the work first began in the book of Acts and how these workers were led to serve the local churches. In order to appreciate the meaning of the work, it is important to have a fundamental and scriptural understanding of what the church is. The church has two aspects: a universal aspect and a local aspect. The universal church (its universal aspect) is the mystical Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23), and the local church (its local aspect) is the practical expression of that one Body (Eph. 4:4). Furthermore, the New Testament reveals that, without exception, there should be only one church in one city (Rev. 1:11), which is for maintaining and expressing to the world the oneness among all the genuine believers (John 17:21). Throughout the New Testament, the building up of the church becomes the focus of the Lord’s activity with His believers (Matt. 16:18, Eph. 2:22). This is also the unique focus and goal of the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:11-12). The work thus refers to the ministry of the apostles—those men set apart and sent out by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:4)—which builds up the universal Body of Christ (Eph. 4:12). The building up of the Body of Christ is initially carried out through the raising up and the establishing of the local churches. This Website then explains the responsibilities of the workers and their relationship with the local churches. Moreover, five basic principles are presented as practical guidelines for the service and fellowship of today’s workers in their respective local churches. The Church and the Work A. The Origin of the Work of the Apostles B. Responsibilities of the Workers Toward the Local Churches C. The Relationship between the Local Churches, the Work, and the Apostles D. Basic Principles of the Work 1. The principle of Jerusalem and of Antioch 2. The local churches not being entirely autonomous 3. The boundary between local churches 4. The local churches and the oneness of the body of Christ 5. Principles for financial distribution in the local church Further information on Watchman Nee, Witness Lee, and the local church can be found at www.watchmannee.org, www.witnesslee.org, and www.localchurches.org. |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
© 2001-2002. Living Stream Ministry. All Rights Reserved. |
|
